Disclaimer: This post discusses spoilers from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 2, episode 5. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
Last week on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, we said goodbye to our queen Ginny Lemon.. or did she say goodbye to us?
Who knows. But we do know some of the queens, including Lawrence Chaney, think it was disrespectful of Ginny to tap out instead of facing off against Sister Sister. A few of the other queens as well, including A’Whora and Tayce, think Veronica Green should’ve been in the bottom instead of Ginny. What did you think of last week’s elimination? Did you think it was disrespectful of Ginny to walk out? Do you think Veronica should’ve been in the bottom instead?
When the queens walk back into the werkroom after Ginny’s elimination, they gather on the couch before they’re interrupted by a blatant police siren coming from the TV, where RuPaul usually says a clever sentence or two about the maxi challenge before entering the room. However, the TV never goes off after an elimination — it’s usually the next day once the queens have de-dragged and rested up.
When the queens approach the TV, RuPaul lets the queens know that, ” due to the rapidly changing coronavirus situation, we must cease filming immediately.” I don’t know about you, but I’m gagged, the queens are gagged, I’m gooped, the queens are gooped, and I’m experiencing every other word that starts with the letter G. RuPaul tells the queens to “sashay away,” and we can assume the queens left the show until it was safe to return.
But of course, we’re obviously still getting an episode this week. Seven months later (literally), each queen walks back into the werkroom (as boys, unfortunately. I would have loved to see them do some epic entrance looks again!) and they all reunite happily ever after.
But, girl.. if you thought that was the only gag this episode, you’d be extremely wrong.
Once RuPaul finally greets the queens in the werkroom after a seven month hiatus, he lets them know that Veronica Green has tested positive for COVID-19, and she will not be joining the queens for the rest of the season (remember that these episodes are filmed months in advance, so Veronica is doing just fine now!)
It’s unfortunate Veronica’s journey had to end this way, because she was a sickening queen who knew how to bring it to the runway. She also delivered a killer performance in Rats: The Rusical, so at least we still have that, right?
Nonetheless, RuPaul mentions Veronica has an open invitation to return to the show next season. Thank god!
But if you thought that was the only gag AGAIN? Girl, there are so many twists this season, I can’t keep up. My mind is still trying to process Ginny Lemon walking out last week.
To start this week’s episode, the “Brit Crew” enters the room dressed as three animals: a dog, a cow, and an elephant. But little do the queens know, they take their heads off to reveal three of the eliminated queens underneath: Joe Black, Cherry Valentine, and Asttina Mandella. We also learn that Ginny Lemon has not been invited back because she quit. Basically, if she had lip synced and still lost, she would’ve had a chance at coming back — yikes.
Ru lets the queens know one of the eliminated queens will be returning to the show, and the decision will be made by them. The eliminated queens also state their case on why they think they should come back. Joe Black receives five votes, Asttina receives two votes, and Cherry Valentine doesn’t receive any votes.
I am BEYOND thrilled to see Joe Black back in the competition. I was so devastated to see her sashay away in episode one, because she did not deserve to be in the bottom. This season is finally looking up again.
For this week’s maxi challenge, the queens will be representing the United Kingdom in the first ever RuRuvision song contest, which is a play on the Eurovision song contest, an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union. Working in two groups, the queens will need to write their own lyrics, create a hot Euro-pop look, and come up with their own choreography. Joe Black and Lawrence Chaney are team captains. Joe chooses Sister Sister, Tia Kofi, and Ellie Diamond, who are team “BananaDrama,” while Lawrence chooses Tayce, A’Whora, and Bimini Bon-Boulash, who are team “United Kingdolls.”
MNEK is coaching the girls when they go to record their verses. Joe Black is struggling hard to try and pronounce ci-gar how MNEK wants her to, but let’s hope she gets it in the actual performance. Based on the edit, everyone else on team BananaDrama seems to be doing well, but it can always go south in the actual performance. On team United Kingdolls, A’Whora takes the extreme sex route because she can’t sing, and it’s.. weirdly amazing? Bimini and Tayce do very well, and Lawrence, to no surprise, is struggling. However, she did fine in Rats: The Rusical, so I’m not as worried for her.
When it comes time to choreograph the dances, team BananaDrama has some tension because Joe Black needs simple choreography, but Ellie Diamond wants to raise the bar to impress the judges. Tia mentions it’s best if the choreography is simple and camp so the entire team can keep up with each other instead of someone falling behind. However, if the choreography is too simple, it can end up backfiring. The United Kingdolls seem to be on the right track, aside from Lawrence Chaney, who is nervous (but she’ll probably end up doing just fine, let’s be real).
On the main stage, RuPaul is joined by judges Michelle Visage, Graham Norton, and this week’s extra-special guest judge, MNEK, a British recording artist, who is known for his songs “Never Forget You,” “Colour,” and “At Night.”
In the actual performances, the United Kingdolls do very well, and I’m genuinely surprised. Their entire performance is HILARIOUS and full of energy. And I’m not the only one who’s living — the judges can’t get enough of them! However, when it comes to team BananaDrama, the judges do not look pleased. Their performance lacks energy, the outfits aren’t good, the choreography is basic, and the verses aren’t anything special.
On the runway, category is: A Day at the Seaside. Bimini Bon-Boulash went with a beautiful baby blue lace dress with a matching parasol, Tayce is wearing a dress made of net with sea shells attached to it, A’Whora is dressed as fish and chips (literally), Lawrence Chaney went with a campy orange dress inspired by a lifebuoy, Ellie Diamond looks exactly like a seagull, Tia Kofi is a (very simple) vanilla soft serve cone with a cherry on top of her head, Sister Sister also went with a fish and chips look, and Joe Black went with a campy, 3D “stuck in the wind” look.
The winning group of the week, to no surprise, is the United Kingdolls. And since this is a team victory, each queen will be receiving a coveted RuPeter badge. They leave the stage while the judges critique team BananaDrama.
To sum up this week’s critiques, I give you this quote from RuPaul: “I don’t wanna see any fucking H&M.”
To put it in simple terms, the judges were not happy with team BananaDrama. They received very few positive critiques, and unlike earlier in the episode, things are not looking up for any of them.
This week, the rankings for the losing group are as follows:
Ellie Diamond: SAFE
Sister Sister: LOW
Tia Kofi: BOTTOM 2
Joe Black: BOTTOM 2
Joe Black and Tia Kofi face off in a lip sync for your life to “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by The Communards. Tia’s performance, unlike her performance in the group, is full of energy, and the judges are living for it. Joe, on the other hand, is disappearing into the dark with her campy, old school performance.
Tia Kofi is declared the winner of this week’s lip sync, meaning we are unfortunately saying goodbye to our queen Joe Black (again). However, I think Joe deserved to be in the bottom this time around, so at least she was reasonably sent home, unlike her elimination in episode one.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below!
Ta-ta for now!
x
THE GAY BIBLE 